Retriever for the broken ends of strip material in an enclosed tank



Aug. 5, 1969 w. L. INGRAM 3,459,352

RETRIEVER FOR THE BROKEN ENDS 0F STRIP MATERIAL IN AN ENCLOSED TANK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct, 30, 1967 IN VEN TOR Aug. 5, 1969 w. 1.. mGRAM 3,459,352

RETRIEVER FOR TH ROK ENDS OF STRIP MATERIAL IN EN SED TANK Filed Oct. 30. 196'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTOR United States Patent 3,459,352 RETRIEVER FOR THE BROKEN ENDS 0F STRIP MATERIAL IN AN ENCLOSED TANK William L. Ingram, Rte. 2, Box 84, Hebron, Ind. 46341 Filed Oct. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 679,050 Int. Cl. G03b 1/56 US. Cl. 226-92 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A nonmetallic cover for a tank has upper and lower recesses running centrally along the length thereof. A permanent magnet is supported in the upper recess by rollers and is moveable by a tow line back and forth across the tank. A retriever magnet is located in the tank covers lower recess and it too is mounted on rollers and adapted to be moved back and forth in its recess in the tanks cover by magnetic attraction to the Permanent magnet in the upper recess. A flexible retriever band on the retriever magnet hangs down through the lower recess into the tank so as to be drawn therethrough after the retriever magnet. When it reaches the other side, the flexible band is used to retrieve a broken end of strip material that is otherwise fed into and through the tank by means of power-driven rollers located at the tanks ends.

This invention relates to retrievers; and more particularly, to retrievers adapted to retrieve broken ends of strip material is an enclosed tank.

Material in strip form, be it film, paper, steel or other metals, plastic, or the like, is used in nearly every modern industry. Processing of such strip material is often done under conditions that do not permit one to place his hands into the tank. This is particularly true in steel mills where strip material is run through hot acid baths. Therefore, it is desirable to have some device and method whereby the two ends of strip material can be quickly and effectively secured together again when the strip breaks in the processing tank. The structure of the invention provides such a device.

To practice the invention, one need only replace present tank covers with ones such as are described herein and add certain accessories to the cover. Such modifications are neither expensive nor time consuming, particularly when one considers the time and money that are presently lost in securing the broken ends of strip material in processing tanks.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a retriever for the broken ends of strip material in an enclosed tank wherein the broken strip material can have its ends rapidly connected together without the necessity for removing the tanks cover. In this manner, particularly where the tank contains dangerous chemicals, it is not necessary to open the tank in order to connect the ends.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a retriever that contains a minimum number of parts designed so that it is next to impossible for them to jam, break, or otherwise get out of order.

Another object of this invention is to provide a retriever that can be adapted to any existing tank by merely replacing the tanks cover with one manufactured according to the following description.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a retriever which can be operated by even the most inexperienced person having little or no mechanical apptitude.

In accordance with the principles of the invention, a processing tanks cover is comprised of a nonmetallic material having a U-shaped recess in the center of its upper "ice surface and running the full length of the tank. The covers lower surface is provided with a T-shaped recess located directly under the U-shaped recess. A permanent magnet is supported by four rollers and located in the U-shaped recess so that it can be moved back and forth therein by a tow line. A permanently magnetic retriever magnet is also supported by rollers and located in the T-shaped recess. A pilot band is removably secured to one end of the retriever magnet and placed in the T-shaped recess; and a cable secured to the pilot bands other end hangs down through the center of the T-shaped recess so as to pull a retriever band along the entire length of the tank when the retriever magnet is moved from one end to the other. The retriever band can then be aflixed to one of the broken ends and pulled back through the tank so that the two broken ends can be reattached.

The above objects will be apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and where- FIG. 1 is a top view of a strip material processing tank embodying the invention. For reasons of clarity certain details have been omitted;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1. In this view the strip material is shown broken;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1. In this view the ends of the broken strip material have been all but removed from the tank;

FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a pilot band, a short cable, and a portion of a retriever band.

Although strip material processing tanks frequently have many compartments, the illustrated tank 10 includes only three. A pair of power driven input rollers 11 are located a predetermined distance from one end of the tank which includes an opening through which the strip material is passed. A second pair of power driven rollers 12 are located a predetermined distance from the other end of the tank and function as output rollers. The distances between the ends of the tank 10 and the rollers are suflicient to permit broken pieces of strip material to be secured to or released from a retriever band 25 to be described more fully shortly.

The tank 10 has a nonmetallic cover 13 having a longitudinally disposed and centrally located U-shaped recess 14 along its top surface; and a longitudinally disposed centrally located T-shaped recess 15 located in its bottom surface. The T-shaped recess 15 is parallel to and directly under the U-shaped recess, but separated therefrom by a member 16 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

A permanent magnet 17 is located in the U-shaped recess 15. The magnet has a convex upper surface and a horizontally disposed flat bottom each end of which has laterally outwardly extending opposed rollers 18. A tow line 19 is connected to the lateral center of each end of the permanent magnet 17.

A retriever magnet 20 is located in the T-shaped recess 15 and has the same basic configuration as the permanent magnet 17 except that its upper surface is flat and horizontally disposed while its bottom is curved upwardly. The retriever magnet 20 also has four outwardly and laterally extending rollers 21; and a lug 22 extending outwardly from the center of one end thereof.

A pilot band 23 is nearly as wide as the T-shaped recess 15 and is placed therein when it is desired to use the structure of the invention. In this respect the pilot band 23 is of considerable predetermined length, and is suitably secured at one end to the lug 22 while its other end is connected to a cable 24 which is approximately three feet long and has its outer end connected to One end of the retriever band 25 by a suitable quickly detachable means. The retriever band 25 must be a little longer than the total length of the tank 10.

Having generally described the construction of an embodiment of my invention, I will now describe its method and use. Assume that a continuous strip of material of indefinite length breaks as it is driven into and through the tank by the power driven input rollers 11 and output rollers 12. It then becomes necessary to retrieve the two end pieces 26 and 27 which have a natural tendency to fall to the bottom of the tank. When this occurs the input rollers 11 are reversed unti the end 26 is pulled back out of the tank to the position illustrated in FIG. 3. The other end 27 is then pulled forwardly by the power driven output rollers 12 until it is in the FIG. 3 position. Next, the permanent magnet 17 is placed in the U-shaped recess 14; and the retriever magnet 20 is placed in the T-shaped recess 15 with one end of the pilot band 23 secured to the lug 22. The other end of the pilot band 23 is aflixed to cable 24 which drops down through the centrally located and vertically disposed portion of the T-shaped recess 15 so that the retriever band 25 which is secured to the outer end of cable 24, drops into the bottom of the tank 10.

As the permanent magnet 17 is pulled to the opposite end of the cover 13 by the tow line 19, the retriever magnet 20 is also drawn across the tank by means of the magnetic attraction between the two magnets. When the magnets reach the other end of the tank cover the retriever magnet 20, the pilot band 23, and the cable 24 are disconnected from the retriever band 25. The free end of the retriever band 25 is then secured to end 26 of the strip of material and the retriever band 25 is pulled in the opposite direction through the tank until the end 26 of the strip material is out of the tank 10 and next to the end 27 to which it is suitably secured. The strip of material is now ready for further processing as it was before the break occurred.

Both of the magnets may be dispensed with if the tank 10 is short. In this case, the pilot band 23 may be placed in the T-shaped recess 15 and pushed through the recess for the full length of the cover (and tank) with the cable 24 and retriever band 25 trailing below. The broken ends of the strip of material can then be brought together and fastened as previously described.

It should be understood that the structure of the invention is subject to detailed changes and modifications falling within the scope and intent of the appended claims. The invention shown in the drawings is merely illustrative and is not to be considered as illustrating the invention in either complete detail or in its final form.

What I now claim as new and desire to Secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A retriever for the broken ends of strip material in an enclosed tank, comprising a tank; a nonmetallic cover for the said tank, the said cover embodying a movable permanent magnet in the upper surface thereof; and a retriever magnet in the lower surface of the said cover, the said retriever magnet being attracted to, and moved by, the magnetic force of the first mentioned magnet; and removable flexible structure secured to one end of the said retriever magnet for the securement of two broken ends of strip material that is passed through the said tank.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the said tank is provided with a pair of vertically disposed power driven rollers that are located at a predetermined distance from one end of the said tank, and a pair of like power-driven rollers located at a predetermined distance from the other end of the said tank.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein the said cover is provided with a longitudinally disposed and centrally located U-shaped recess in the top of the said cover.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein the said cover is provided with a longitudinally disposed and centrally located T-shaped recess in the bottom of the said cover and directly under and parallel to the U-shaped recess in the top of the said cover.

5. The invention of claim 4, wherein both the said permanent magnet and the said retriever magnet are provided with a laterally disposed supporting roller near each end and on each side of each of the two magnets.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein the said removable flexible structure embodies a pilot band of the width slightly less than the width of the T-shaped recess into which it slides when the said invention is in use, one end of the said pilot band being removably secured to the said retriever magnet by means of a lug and the other end of the said pilot band having one end of a piece of cable secured thereto, the said cable hanging down through the center portion of the T-shaped opening in the said cover when the said invention is in use and the other end of the said cable being removably secured to one end of a retriever band that is longer in length than the length of the said tank.

ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2141 

